California Fog Is Vital, but Climate Change May Threaten It - The New York Times
Some scientists are concerned that San Francisco's most iconic meteorological phenomenon is on its way out.
Coastal fog isn't unique to the California coast, but few places in the world are so deeply linked with the ghostly meteorological phenomenon. Even the emoji for "foggy" shows what appears to be the Golden Gate Bridge shrouded in clouds.
My colleague John Branch recently wrote about San Francisco's fog and concerns that it may be fading as the world warms. A reduction in fog could harm California's agriculture industry and its oldest trees, and could change the identity of the Bay Area.
John spoke to me about his article from his home about 20 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge, which he believes may be "the most famous foggy place on the planet." We talked about why he wanted to report on fog, the role it plays in California's ecology and what he believes is San Francisco's soundtrack of the summer. Here's our conversation, lightly edited for clarity:
Soumya: How did you come to this story? Why focus on fog?
John: I have a strange infatuation with the fog. I find it mystical and fascinating. It's such a life force around here in ways that I think people don't realize. And it's beautiful, too. I love foggy days. I love driving around or running around and seeing the fog blowing over the hills or through the Golden Gate.
I have a lot of friends here who grew up in the Bay Area who certainly believe that fog is disappearing. That's anecdotal, but there have been some studies that have suggested as much. Between my fascination with fog and the idea that fog could be disappearing, I wanted to try to tell that story and dive into why that would even matter.
Soumya: You write that it's hard to quantify fog, and therefore difficult to know for certain if fog is decreasing. But if it is, how would that affect California's agricultural areas?
John: Without the fog, presumably the temperatures warm and you have more direct sunlight. That would really change, for example, the kinds of varieties of grapes you would have. For people who spend time in Sonoma or Napa Valleys, they might know that close to the Bay is a certain kind of grape that is accustomed to cooler temperatures and foggy, less sunny climates. And the farther north you go tends to be thicker-skin grapes better for hotter, drier weather. So without fog, it would completely alter that.
And the same thing happens down in the Salinas Valley. Not with grapes, but would you be growing strawberries if it wasn't foggy and cool? Probably not.
Soumya: I was surprised to learn that the coastal redwoods, the world's tallest trees, get a third of their water supply from fog. What role does fog play in California's ecosystems?
John: In the Bay Area, we go, for the most part, from the first of May to about the first of October, often with zero rain. Fog is the thing that bridges the gap between the rainy seasons, and feeds and nourishes the redwoods. Not only does it do that, but that water that drips off the redwoods feeds everything from lichens to mosses to newts and salamanders to salmon. It's why the streams in the hills around here don't entirely dry up in the summer and allow for salmon to not completely die off. To lose fog and lose that and to lose redwoods, potentially, is really frightening.
And then you add the more human component of that: What does it mean for temperatures, without the cloud cover? What would it mean for things like power grids, if everybody suddenly has to buy air-conditioning, which most of us around here don't have? And what does it mean for us culturally? What is San Francisco without fog? It's part of its reputation. It's part of its feeling. San Francisco's not San Francisco without fog.
Soumya: You write about real estate agents in San Francisco becoming fog experts because it's such a defining factor for neighborhoods in the city. What role does fog play in the microclimates S.F. is famous for?
John: Within San Francisco, which is a tiny city geographically, people still know which are foggy neighborhoods and which ones are not. The differences between one neighborhood that might be socked in by fog for much of July and August is huge compared to a different neighborhood that might be two miles away and, simply because it's over the top of a hill, it's known to be sunny most of the time of the year. The reason SFO is where it is is because it's the least foggy part of the peninsula. It's not on the coast like LAX because it would be foggy all the time. So the way the city is built, in some ways, is due to fog.
Soumya: As part of your reporting, you toured the Golden Gate Bridge's five foghorns, which typically aren't open to the public. Why did you want to visit and write about them?
John: You think about fog as this kind of visceral thing: It cools our temperatures. It's really beautiful to look at. But what it also does is present the need for foghorns. And for a lot of people around here the foghorns are the soundtrack of summer.
They will be shopping down Chestnut Street or they'll be sitting on their balcony somewhere in the Mission and they can hear foghorns coming all the way from the Bay somewhere or from near the Golden Gate Bridge. And it's just this backdrop. The way some people might have crickets at night, they have foghorns, and I just love that. I think there'd be something missing if suddenly we didn't have fog and had no need for foghorns.
If you read one story, make it this
Wildfire smoke is erasing progress on clean air.
The rest of the news
Covid: California is easing mask recommendations as conditions improve, The Los Angeles Times reports.
Protecting bees: The California Supreme Court allowed the state on Wednesday to consider protecting threatened bumblebees under a conservation law listing for fish, The Associated Press reports.
Legalized sports betting: The campaign that could bring legalized sports betting to California is the most expensive ballot-initiative fight in U.S. history at about $400 million and counting, The Associated Press reports.
Diesel sale ban: California regulators could ban the sale of diesel big rigs by 2040, The Los Angeles Times reports.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Fentanyl overdoses: A 15-year-old L.A.U.S.D. student has overdosed on what the authorities believe to be fentanyl-laced pills, making him the seventh student to overdose over the past month, The Los Angeles Times reports.
Corruption probe: California's attorney general took over a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department investigation of a county supervisor who had called the probe an act of political retaliation, The Associated Press reports.
Ghacham Inc.: A Los Angeles County clothing brand has agreed to plead guilty to submitting fake customs forms to skirt almost $6.4 million in tariffs, The Los Angeles Times reports.
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
District Attorney: Fresno County Democrats called on Rob Bonta, the California attorney general, to investigate Lisa Smittcamp, the Fresno County district attorney, saying that she "weaponizes" her office against elected Democrats of color, The Fresno Bee reports.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Oakland shootings: Oakland's leaders were going to meet to address the shootings that have plagued their city, but the City Council meeting was cut short by a shooting just outside City Hall, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Whale-ship collisions: Four whales have died near San Francisco this year after ships crashed into them, and scientists hope to drive that number to zero with new technology.
Rise of homeless population: Sacramento, if the courts allow, will be drawing harder lines on homeless encampments and will start policing a new ban on public camping at the end of this month, Politico reports.
What we're eating
A simple, excellent one-pot recipe for a midweek feast, full of rich flavor, with a sauce that you won't want to waste.
Where we're traveling
Today's tip comes from Caitlin Manley, who recommends the "Galápagos of North America":
"One of my favorite places to go off-grid and decompress is right in my backyard. The Channel Islands National Park is a hidden gem of California, often referred to as the 'Galápagos of North America' due to its high productivity and resulting abundant marine life. A one-hour boat ride from Oxnard or Ventura harbors gets you to this beautiful and unique island and away from the hustle of southern and central California. There you can find lush kelp forests perfect for snorkeling, kayaking, and diving — some of my favorite summer activities. Campsites are cheap but hard to come by, so book early and check rec.gov often!"
Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We'll be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter.
Tell us
Today is the first day of fall. What do you love about the season in California? What are the best fall activities in your corner of the state?
Email us at CAtoday@nytimes.com with your stories, memories and recommendations.
And before you go, some good news
The recent birth of a southern white rhino at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park may help another closely related rhino species in Kenya that's at risk of going extinct.
The San Diego calf's mother, Livia, is a member of a small herd of six southern white rhinos that were brought to Southern California from South Africa in 2015. The birth of the calf proves that Livia can get pregnant, carry a calf to term, and care for her offspring, KPBS reports.
That's important because scientists are hoping Livia and the other southern white rhino females in San Diego could one day be surrogate moms to the related northern white rhino. That species is on the precipice of extinction, thanks to war and poaching. (There are only two northern whites still living, but both are too old to breed.)
The potential surrogates in San Diego could be a lifeline to keep the northern whites from going extinct. "That's the goal for all of us," said Barbara Durrant, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's director of reproductive sciences.
Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya
P.S. Here's today's Mini Crossword.
Briana Scalia and Miles McKinley contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com.
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